What Frogs Eat

The frog in this picture has something at its mouth: a small snail, picked up at the edge of a duckweed-covered pond.

An opportunistic diet

Water frogs are generalist predators. Insects make up a large part of their diet, but they also eat spiders, worms, slugs, small snails, and occasionally smaller frogs. Almost anything that moves and fits in the mouth is fair game.

Swallowing with their eyes

Frogs don't chew. They swallow prey whole, and they use their eyes to help: when a frog swallows, its eyes retract down into the head, pressing on the roof of the mouth and helping push food towards the throat.

A quiet moment at the bank

Feeding frogs are usually calm, which makes them easier to approach slowly. Keeping low, moving only a few centimetres at a time, and letting the frog get used to you is the way to a natural portrait like this one.